Oh, Cinque Terre. With its emerald green tree-topped hills, brightly colored homes crawling up to the sky, steep drops of gray cliffs and a pounding (at times) blue Ligurian Sea, this gorgeous slice of Italian seaside is one of the most renowned — and recognized — places in the world.
We stand outside the cafe, a gorgeous stone terrace with little tables, overlooking the tranquil blue water of the Ligurian Sea (a far cry from the tumultuous experience the day before when attempting to take Cinque Terre’s water ferry). Mom and I stand waiting, our suitcases at our sides, when the owner of Alla Marina comes up to us. We’re renting an apartment in Riomaggiore for our last night in the gorgeous region of Italy, and moved from our Flipkey rental in Vernazza to the most southern of the five towns to enjoy a the remaining moments of our mother-daughter Italian vacation.
“Hello, hello,” Sandro Pasini greets us. He’s one of the two brothers who run the Alla Marina, a small cluster of rooms and apartments in the village. Sandro is tall, his English perfect, and his willingness to help us is apparent immediately.
Perhaps the one thing Cinque Terre is most known for — other than the pesto, glorious wines and tiny towns — are the paths tying the five Italian villages together. Varying in difficulty and length, visitors come from the world over, clad in their best gear to experience these world-renowned trails and relish the spectacular views that is Cinque Terre hiking.
